SQL Server 2019

Back in December 2017, when I posted the Guess the Next SQL Server Release Date Contest, you could leave your guess in the comments for a chance to win a Live Class Season Pass and a Recorded Class Season Pass. Here’s how the guesses so far have gone – and for this quick analysis, I’m only…

Wait! Before you install that next SQL Server, hold up. Are you sure you’re using the right version? I know, management wants you to stay on an older build, and the vendor says they’ll only support older versions, but now’s your chance to make your case for a newer version – and I’m gonna help…

A while back, we talked you through a public whitepaper about how Microsoft was working on making user-defined functions go faster. Now that the next preview (CTP2.1) of SQL Server 2019 is out, you can start getting your hands on Froid, the performance-boosting feature. Here’s the documentation on it – let’s see how it works.…

The system table sys.messages holds error messages that SQL Server needs to return to end users. When a new build comes out, I love checking this table to see what features Microsoft has coded, but isn’t quite ready to announce yet. When SQL Server 2017 came out, that’s how I unmasked snapshot materialized views, a…

When you run a query, SQL Server guesses how much memory you’re going to need for things like sorts and joins. As your query starts, it gets an allocation of workspace memory, then starts work. Sometimes SQL Server underestimates the work you’re about to do, and doesn’t grant you enough memory. Say you’re working with…

Psst – you’re probably not supposed to see this yet, but look what @WalkingCat found: SQL Server 2019 Vision pic.twitter.com/zbjI28FYSu— WalkingCat (@h0x0d) September 21, 2018 What the video says Growing volumes of data create deep pools of opportunity for those who can navigate it. SQL Server 2019 helps you stay ahead of the changing time by…

TEASE Who Let The Docs Out? Ignite must be coming up. If you head over to Microsoft’s GitHub repo, you can peruse around for stuff updated recently. Maybe you’ll create an account. Maybe you’ll start contributing to open source projects. Maybe you’ll quietly slip into a world of solitude for days on end. Happy Saturday!…

In no particular order: Database Level Option for Storing Wait Stats – just like we can store query plan history in Query Store, it’d be awesome to get performance history over time. Give more info on the “String or Binary Data Would be Truncated” error – tell us which column, and what row tried to…

Scalar functions and multi-statement table-valued functions are notorious performance killers. They hide in execution plans, their cost is under-estimated, the row estimates are way off, they cause queries to go single-threaded, I could go on and on. The Connect item about their performance has historically been one of the top-voted complaints out there. At Summit…

When will Microsoft officially release SQL Server 2019 for download? The dust is just barely starting to settle on the 2017 box, so it’s time to guess the next one. Leave one – and only one – comment here in YYYY/MM/DD format with your release date guess. If you leave multiple comments, only the first/earliest…

Last week at the PASS Summit in Seattle, Kevin Farlee & Joe Sack ran a vNext demo in the Microsoft booth and dropped a little surprise. SQL Server vNext (2018?) will let you trade speed for accuracy. I have had approximately all of the breakfast margaritas They’re working on a new APPROXIMATE_COUNT_DISTINCT. It would work…

If you were leading Microsoft’s development programs, what would you add or change in SQL Server 2018? Forget licensing or pricing changes – that’s dictated by the marketing teams, and those decisions are made really close to the release date. Instead, let’s think bigger: what are the really big improvements you’d make that would really…

If you think that’s big, you should see the size of the drink I happened to be in Seattle this week after finishing up an Alaska cruise, and I had the chance to sit down with some of the PMs responsible for upcoming SQL Server features. It turns out they’re already deep in development with…